Nancy Eckerson: Try race walking by itself or as a complement to running

On a recent Saturday morning, with the hot July sun overhead and heat radiating from the track at Portsmouth High School, I sweated and concentrated on keeping my form while Jay Diener coached and encouraged me. Dieneris a well-known local race walker, and this was my first attempt at the sport. Race walking is not power walking or ‘fast’ walking, it is a competitive form of distance walking that combines endurance and technique, debuting as an Olympic sport in 1904. Although popular around the world, it is less known in the U.S. and not well understood. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it is a great workout, quite challenging, and a lot of fun.

Race walkers come from many backgrounds including those seeking a sport that offers an overall body workout with less impact than running. If you have ever watched race walkers, you have likely noticed their unique technique. Rules specific to race walking state that the advancing leg of the walker must remain straight with no bend at the knee from first contact with the ground until the leg passes under the body, and that the competitor maintains contact with the ground at all times. For a beginner, it is a lot to take in, but Diener broke the technique into easily digestible steps so that by the end, I had a taste of what race walking should feel like.

Diener, of Hampton, has been race walking for ten years. He first tried it when he could no longer run pain-free due to an injury and now orouout immediately that race walking uses muscles in different ways than running. In order to keep the leg straight, a race walker’s foot lands on the heel and recruits shin muscles to keep the knee in a firm position. After a couple hundred meters, my shins were aching and I was breathing heavily so it was time to add in arm and hip motion. As in running, the arms drive the legs, but in race walking, power and efficiency are gained through proper arm motion.

Diener explained that adding in hip rotation lengthens the race walker’s stride and helps to pull the leg forward faster resulting in greater speed; he estimates proper hip rotation lowers 5K times by at least 20 to 30 seconds. The longer stride produced by hip rotation also ensures that foot placement is close to a straight line, which was very evident when trying the techniqueon a lined track. Adding in hip rotation made the race walker stride feel much more natural to me, and took away much of the strain I initially felt on my shins. With encouragement from Diener and the other race walkers at the track, I was able to race walk for greater distances.

Watching the experienced members of the Granite State Racewalkersquickly glide by with fluid, strong strides helped to give me an image of what to strive for. Stephan Mayeux of Portsmouth has been race walking for five years and finds the sport challenging and rewarding, the toughest sport he has ever tried, which says a lot coming from a former marathoner and life-long soccer player. Kiyoshi Imai, of Lee, tried race walking as part of the NH Senior Games when he turned 50 and was immediately hooked. Husband and wife Bob Silva and Susan Copp-Silva of Rochester tried the sport at the recommendation of Diener and love the challenge of races, improving race times, and being part of a supportive race walking community.Pam Faltin of Durham also runs, but loves how adding race walking to the mix keeps her muscles guessing. Ken Taylor, a retired physical therapist, has been race walking for five years and assists the group with stretching and other advice when any aches or pains crop up. Newcomers to the group, Gayle Gary of Berwick, ME and Claire Pagnotta of Hooksett have been race walking for a year; Gary, who completed her first race in May, was looking for an alternative to running, and Pagnotta had been race walking on her own but found her technique improved when she joined the group.

Many local road races offer separate race walking categories, but race walkersare often not officially recognized in races. Runners are sometimes surprised to find they are being passed by race walkers, and are mostly supportive and amazed by their speed, but the group says they will occasionally hear comments such as ‘why don’t you just run?’To all the doubters I would recommend trying the sport, which can also be a great compliment to running. My hip muscles were sore for two days after race walking from the different motion, but felt extra loose and relaxed when running, which is more than enough incentive for me to keep race walking.

For more information, contact Jay Diener at coastwalker1@gmail.com.

Running Notes

On July 20, run (or race walk) the Stratham Fair 5.7 mile race/relay, the Jason Hussey 5K in Greenland, or Howie’s Field of Dreams 5K in Rochester.

Nancy Eckerson writes about running for Foster’s Sunday Citizen. You can reach her at nerunner1@comcast.net.